


Though They Disappear

by KhonekoChan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Canonical Character Death, past Jeanmarco - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 11:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1509470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KhonekoChan/pseuds/KhonekoChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean starts getting freckles, but he doesn't really mind until Armin brings it up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Though They Disappear

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't the first fic I've written, but it's the first I've ever posted. My best friend's constant encouragement is what finally made me decide to post something. Also, I would like other people's opinions, since I'm pretty sure I could write complete crap and she would still like it. I hope it's good!

The first day after Marco's death, Sasha pokes Jean's cheek, on the bone just under his eye.

"I never noticed you had freckles!" She belts out in excitement around a mouthful of food, causing most of the surrounding trainees to turn their attention in her direction. "It's actually pretty cute."

It is beyond Jean's comprehension how anyone can be so upbeat immediately after such a devastating situation, but he figures it's because she's enjoying her favorite hobby. Eating.

He turns from Sasha's invading finger. "I don't. It's probably just dirt or something."

Sasha licks her thumb and rubs it over the spot.

"Ack! Sasha! Don't just rub your spit on my face!" He growls, pushing her away and wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his shirt.

"It's still there." She states with a grin. "You have freckles."

Everyone else at their table is looking at Jean, and they all seem to have their gaze fixed on the same spot on his face. He catches his reflection in the spoon nestled idly between his thumb and finger and lifts it. The spot isn't too difficult to see in the metal of the spoon and he notices it immediately. "In any case, it's _a freckle_. Singular. And I'm sure it's just from all the sun we've been getting these past few days."

Sasha finishes her food, choking down the rest of her bread and washing it down with soup. "Yeah. You're probably right. But are you going to finish that? May I have it, please?" She asks, pointing at Jean's untouched portions.

He looks at her, her eyes pleading him to give her the extra food. He isn't going to eat it. He hasn't eaten much since he found Marco's body lying in the streets with no one around to even give an account on how he died. So he slides the contents of his tray to her without complaint.

"Seriously?" She questions in breathless awe. Then she's throwing her arms around him in gratification. "Thank you so much, Jean! You're so much nicer to me than anyone else here. Especially Mikasa! Thank you, thank you!"

"Geez. You'd think she'd die if she didn't eat her weight in food everyday." Connie adds, a bored expression accompanying his words.

"Wha-!? Connie, that isn't fair! Maybe if they actually gave us enough to fill us up between meals, I wouldn't be so hungry all the time!"

Jean drowns the two bickering out with his thoughts, thinking of anything and everything just to keep his mind off the events of the past week. He knows he isn't the only one affected by the titan invasion and the deaths of their comrades - he can see it in their eyes and the way some hold themselves tense - but somehow, he seems to think he's failing to take it as well as the others.

\--

Jean chooses the Survey Corps.

After years of training and hard work to get into the top ten and snag a spot in the Military Police for a life of comfort, he joins the Survey Corps.

A few days have passed since Sasha initially pointed out the appearance of a single freckle adorning Jean's face, and since then, a few more have made their debut, all of which are concentrated in the general area of the original spot. He knows this because his teammates haven't failed to remind him.

"There's not that many, but isn't it weird that they're all in one place?"

The trainees of the corps are gathered in a classroom, having just been lectured over the formation they would have to employ during the expedition. They've divided into groups, each group with their own copy of the formation map, studying how they're expected to split up and which smoke rounds mean what.

Jean glares at Connie. "Don't you think we have more important things to worry about? Like, I don't know, the expedition in a month?" He questions without any real malice.

Connie huffs. "I was just trying to make conversation. Is that so bad? I mean, we have a whole month to train and learn formation."

"Yeah, but an attitude like that is why you missed your target in the supply room." Jean smirks while spreading out and smoothing down their copy of the formation map.

"It was an honest mistake!" He complains. "At least nobody got hurt."

Sasha lowers her gaze in evident shame. "But someone could have gotten hurt. We could have been the cause of everyone's deaths, including our own. Then what? Even more people probably would have died at the sake of one simple mistake." Her fists clench on top of the table. "And we're just throwing ourselves back out there in monster territory. We might really die this time." She's visibly shaking, eyes shut tight to hold back the tears burning behind her eyelids.

"Sasha..." Jean starts. He sees how clearly shaken she is about the supply room incident. Reaching toward her, he places his hand over her fist closest to him and she stills immediately, allowing her eyes to open to slits. "I'm sorry for mentioning that. I wasn't paying attention to what I was saying. I didn't think about whether it would upset you or not." He apologizes.

Her vision is blurry through tears, but she relaxes into Jean's touch. Her fists loosen, and she curls the fingers under Jean's grip around his comforting hand. "Thank you, Jean."

He continues to hold her hand as she gains composure, ghosting a touch to his marked cheek.

_Am I a bad person, Marco?_

\--

Just over a month has passed since Marco's death. 

It's the day of the expedition.

By this time, Jean's cheeks and nose are splattered with freckles. Some have even been appearing on his neck and shoulders. But this is hardly concerning to him at the moment, considering the fact that he's currently suspended to a tree keeping watch over titans.

"Nobody said we had to engage them. Am I right...?"

Beneath him, several titans have gathered at the bases of the trees, scratching at the bark and eyeing them up like an exquisite banquet. Neither he nor the others have any idea why they have been ordered to keep the titans out of the forest, but there must be good reason if it came from the Commander. Even so, seemingly irrational orders have been the downfall of many people of power in the past.

"I've noticed the older ones have began to fade."

That was certainly not the response he was expecting to receive from his rhetorical question. Jean tilts his head back toward Armin on the branch above him with a look of inquiry. "What are you talking about?"

Armin points to his own face. "It's unusual for someone who doesn't have natural freckles to suddenly start getting them, and the longer they stay, the lighter they're becoming. I'm beginning to think that there is more to this than you just getting freckles, and it doesn't have anything to do with the sun."

Jean shrugs. "Leave it to Armin to draw a scientific analysis out of freckles."

"You know I wouldn't mention anything like this if I wasn't being serious." He defends. "I'm just throwing this out as something to think about, but have you ever heard of them referred to as 'angel kisses'?"

Before Jean can reply, loud explosions echo from deep within the woods. It's much louder than a smoke round, and far too many are being let off. He glances around at his comrades, their mutual looks of confusion confirming what he already hypothesized. Nobody around him knew what the hell was going on.

And as if that wasn't distracting enough, his attention is suddenly focused on the source of the sickening sound of something cracking beneath him. The titans are climbing the trees. They're struggling, but from the looks of it, they'll learn how to steady themselves soon enough.

"Let's move, Armin! Bastard...looks like it's figured it out..."

\--

_"Oi, Freckles! Come over here and give me a hand!" Jean yells to the dark haired boy carrying a stack of dishes nearly as high as the top of his head. The boy seems to understand without much hesitation that the nickname was referring to him, and makes his way over to Jean who is currently scrubbing away at dirty plates. "This is too much work for one person, and I'm sure as hell not getting stuck with doing it all while the rest sweep and clean the tables."_

_Freckles carefully sets the dishes next to the rest of the dirty cups, bowls, and silverware, and picks up the task of rinsing and drying. "You know, I'm not the only one here with freckles." He smiles while holding a handful of spoons under the steady flow of water._

_"You have the most. That makes you Freckles." Jean reasons._

_"Then I must have someone who really cares about me watching over me."_

_Jean pauses with his chore. "Huh? What does that mean?" He questions._

_Freckles concentrates his gaze upon Jean, nothing but sincerity written on his tanned features. "My mom told me that each freckle was a kiss from an angel. I believe it's true, because every now and then, I'll find a new one. My angel must really like me."_

_At this new information, Jean stares and wonders if this kid is always this innocent. He promptly resumes his job. "That's weird. You're weird, Freckles."_

_"I am not!" He defends. "Actually, if you ever want to call me by my real name, it's Marco."_

_"Marco." He familiarizes hisself with the name. "I'm Jean."_

_"Well, Jean, nice to meet you. Maybe you'll get some angel kisses one day."_

\--

Eren is currently passed out from exhaustion due to the fight with Annie. Armin is sitting curled up at the foot of the bed. Mikasa is at his side in a chair. They're quite for a while.

Ever since Armin mentioned the angel kisses the other day, he hasn't stopped thinking about it. Due to the stressful series of events taking place one after the other, no one has teased him about his freckles. Though the fact the the older ones were hardly noticeable anymore could be a contributing factor. They weren't gone, but they were so lightly colored that one had to know what Jean actually looked like before to really notice they were still there.

They begin to talk about recent events and the possible fate of Eren, until Armin is summoned to attend a meeting. Jean excuses himself to return to the surface as well. Mikasa decides to stay behind with Eren.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Armin knowingly asks as they make their way up the stairs. This kid is way too smart for his own good.

Even after all that they've been through in this past month alone, Jean manages to flash Armin a genuine smile. "Yeah. I think I have."

_And even though you're gone, you've let me know that you're really not. Freckles._


End file.
